Since my son wasn't catching much recently I got some Senkos and 30 pound braided line for him and me to try catch some fish and not worry about dragging it out of the heavy vegetation around here. I spooled my Shimano Chronarch 50E (mounted on Shimano Crucial 6'8" MH/F rod) with 30 lbs yellow hi-viz PowerPro braid (that's the only brand, color, and test they had for the line strength I wanted). Then I started casting...
...well it sucked to be honest. I mean the reel did cast incredibly far (like all of my reels with upgraded bearings ;D) but the feel of it was just off. I can't put my finger on it exactly but casting with mono feels much smoother and less rough. I did catch 1 fish on a Senko before switching to a swim bait... I just couldn't stand how boring Senko fishing is! Cast. Let it drop. Watch the line. Take up slack. Bring it up. Repeat. My God I couldn't stand it so back to U-Vibe speed worm I went.
Though there are two nice things about braid: 1) you feel EVERYTHING; the feedback is strong and instant, 2) you can rip through any grass/weeds/whatever and not worry about it. Strong enough braid will cut right through any vegetation like butter.
RANT OVER
I forgot to add something else about the rod: it's been a long time since I fished a rod this short (6'8" or 6'6" not sure, MH/F) and it was not pleasant. Casting took more effort as did working the lures. Recently I've only been fishing with 2 Dobyns rods, on is 7' MH/F and the other I like even more is 7'3" MH/MF and I like them MUCH better. casting is smooth and effortless, and the extra length and bend makes bringing heavier fish easier to me.
I guess I'll keep the 6'8" rod with braid on it for frogging or some other technique around heavy vegetation.
In what instances do you fish braided line? and what is your ideal rod configuration?
My son and I switched over several years ago and we are 97% all braid to some type of leader on everything. Even when he goes to Dale Hollow that's all he uses. We have one dedicated rod for finesse jigs with straight 12lb fluro and a flippin stick with 20lb fluro and that is all. I used to detest braid but after I got use to it I don't think I could go back.
I'm with rb here. I use braid on all but one rod where I use mono for a certain cranking situation.
It did take some adjustment and getting used to but it works for me. Personally I don't do leaders anymore, and there is no way I could go back to using flouro.
Like most things fishing, everyone has to find what works best for them.
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I'm 100% braid user with different leader usage on several applications.
I use mono on cranks and jerks and braid on most everything else. I have 7 foot rods and use them except for close casting.
Rodney
After interviewing a bunch of pros for magazine articles, most/if not all of them use fluorocarbon for most setups except flipping frogging and light spinning and occasionally mono. Their reason is that they get more bites in a day.
Many times, line stretch is a good thing
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Out of 20 rigs in the boat, 17 are braid of different powers, 2 are mono (because it floats - light topwater baits) and 1 flouro (for heavy shell bars - it doesnt nick as easily as braid.)
The right amount of give for the lure is dictated by the rod action and power.
In the tea stained and jungle like central FL waters, I'm not worried about line visibility. I just want my lure back.
I've also moved from Power Pro to Ninex. It is black and dissappears almost instantly.
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FD, how long does the black line hold up before fading. I'm a die hard power pro guy but I use a marker on my line before and about halfway through each trip ~b~
I like PowerPro braid in moss green. Casts smooth, holds up to heavy cover pretty well, and cuts through vegetation. I don't care for the stretch mono has, but I'll use it for cats and panfish. I've flirted with fluoro and I've had a love/hate relationship with Berkley Fireline for a while before switching to braid. Only thing I hate about braid is that it'll occasionally get wind knots on spinning gear, and it gets blown around on windy days. Kind of a pain when you put your lure exactly where you want it just to see the line get blown over a low-hanging limb or something, but if you can keep the line low when you cast, it's not as big of a deal. Our water is pretty tannic/stained most of the time. If I lived somewhere with gin-clear water and less vegetation/heavy cover, I'd probably go back to fluoro as my main go-to.
Quote from: Mike Cork on May 18, 2022, 10:33:49 AM
FD, how long does the black line hold up before fading. I'm a die hard power pro guy but I use a marker on my line before and about halfway through each trip ~b~
Not faded at all after a few months. I'll send you some to try. What size do you want?
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While fishing with FD in March, I used his tackle and they were spooled with the Ninex black braid. The performance was very good. I used it for two days and no backlash of any kind and no wind knots at all. Conditions were very windy during my visit and we were throwing crankbaits and chatterbaits for both days. I did like the black color and noticed that it pretty much disappeared when in the water. Maybe I noticed since I use Hi Viz yellow but I do know the ninex performed well.
It's amazing how preferences differ. I love braid on a spinning rod with floro leaders. Casting however is selective. Frogs, swim jigs and punching get braid, no leader and super spooks get braid with a short leader. I don't care for Power Pro. Just me.
Quote from: Dink Dawg on May 18, 2022, 06:33:09 PM
It's amazing how preferences differ. I love braid on a spinning rod with floro leaders. Casting however is selective. Frogs, swim jigs and punching get braid, no leader and super spooks get braid with a short leader. I don't care for Power Pro. Just me.
You're not alone. I'm not a fan of Power Pro either.
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Quote from: FlatsNBay on May 17, 2022, 05:21:54 PM
After interviewing a bunch of pros for magazine articles, most/if not all of them use fluorocarbon for most setups except flipping frogging and light spinning and occasionally mono. Their reason is that they get more bites in a day.
Many times, line stretch is a good thing
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Many of us don't have the fishing time the pros do, we look for crutches where we can and braid helps our feel.
Rodney
I think I have PP on my main rod now, I always watch my line after a cast(Spinning) especially during windy conditions...I very rarely don't catch a loop getting ready to cause me grief, and Cast weightless worms 90%, long distance (for their weight- always a far caster since a kid-leverage).
Probably 15% of the time life is trying to cause me grief....I keep trying to train my brother to check every time, but it's a work in progress, he fishes 4 times a year, and was never a guy that fished alot.